The Tribune

By Farrah Johnson

BUSINESS owners and residents say they are frustrated with the constant power outages in New Providence that have cost them customers and household appliances.

Locals in the Palmdale and Over-the-Hill areas told The Tribune the continuous power cuts have made working and living in the summer heat completely unbearable. 

Tony Miller, whose brother owns Centreville Food Market, told this newspaper that the outages have damaged the food store’s freezers and computers.

“There’s nothing that can be done about it because they say they’re having generator problems, but it affects us because it turns off everything,” he said.

“It’s a good thing we have generator but it’s costly. If it doesn’t cost you one way, it costs you another way.”

Mr Miller said the power cuts have also affected the store’s transformer which was worth over $10,000. 

“(The transformer) is what transfers the light from when BEC go out to the generator. (The power outages) knocked it out...plus the computers and freezers. Nobody paying back for it and that’s a problem - a big problem.”

Sidney Knowles, owner of Knowles Upholstery Supplies, said while his business has not experienced a “great volume” of power cuts compared to other places, it has still been affected. 

“One day it kind of paralysed us for five hours because it went off and never came back on. It got so bad in here I basically had to close the shop and leave,” he said.

“I would say this summer has been worse than it has in the last two summers which have been almost perfect...but still it does paralyse you when it goes off and it shouldn’t happen. I’m not trying to make excuses for it.”

Tracey Godet, manager of Donald’s Furniture, said she is “extremely frustrated” because it seems as if the store loses electricity “every two minutes.”

“I have to thank God I have a generator, but that does not satisfy the fact that every two minutes you’re disrupted by the current going off,” she said.

She added that power in the furniture store usually goes off “at least twice a week,” and insisted that the outages have been occurring “too much” in recent times.

“I don’t care if they turn off the businesses in the night. (They should) turn off the businesses in the night (and) leave people (electricity at) home on because that’s where people are (and) they’re miserable in the house.”

“They’re not home in the day so they should switch it around,” she said.

The owner of Darlingshire Small Business Services, who only gave his surname, said the power outages have slowed down work productivity in his store.

“It’s hot outside. What we had to do was leave the door open and work couldn’t take place,” Mr Darling said.

“It’s really difficult to have to deal with it on a daily basis, then you have to go home and the same thing occurs.”

Mr Darling said his power usually goes off about two to three hours a day and added that other areas across the street from him usually suffer a similar, if not worse fate.

Business owners were not the only people voicing their frustrations. The Tribune also spoke to a number of residents who said they are trying their best to cope with the situation.

A resident of Bain and Grants Town said the constant outages mostly affect him during the night because he finds it difficult to sleep in the humidity.

“They need to just step it up... get the generators working, run the system properly and just continue to maintain it so we wouldn’t have too much worries about when the power going off or how long it’s going to be off for,” the resident said.

John Rolle, who resides in Mason’s Addition, added: “I don’t feel good about the power outage because it’s summer and everybody feeling the heat. When you pay your bill you expect to get quality service.”

Another Mason’s Addition resident also told the paper that she had to throw away a number of household appliances that were destroyed by the power cuts. 

“Power was just off for me a couple hours ago...I hope it does not get any worse than this. If it does get worse plenty people will die in this heat,” she said.

BPL has been load shedding since June. The company apologised last week over the issue.

BPL chairman Donovan Moxey at the time called it an anomaly as he said it was unacceptable that there had been widespread load shedding, grossly inconveniencing thousands of paying customers.

The company has also said those whose appliances have been damaged by the power cuts should fill out a claim for potential reimbursement.